Gartner defines “strategic” as those technologies that will have significant disruptive potential over the next 5 years. After reading Gartner's Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends, a big takeaway for me was the juggernaut of the Digital transformed world is upon us.

This top 10 are all transformational and huge market opportunities on their own, but a common theme through many and arguably all is how we ensure people stay safe, compliance is adhered to, businesses protect their customers and partners data throughout their own operations and the supply chain they interface with.

Reflecting on these top 10 there are some critical considerations that need to be solved and included in the design, rollout and ongoing lifecycle of these solutions in the respective markets. Cybersafety is a top consideration as how do you ensure the safety of the public, the workers, and the users as technology becomes more automated and connected to the internet, and with less human interaction.

Revenue Protection (aka Revenue Assurance) is often a topical C level conversation. How do I minimize revenue leakage in a digital world, when industrial espionage, cloning or spoofing is paramount, and I can’t actually recognize who my customers are that I should actually be billing?

And in a digital world, as many markets expand globally, and my product and service become more accessible to people and industries, how do I ensure that my IP or core value is not compromised, stolen or misused.

Trust is a big challenge that needs to be solved and managed through the lifecycle of any digital project in any digital business. How do I ensure the identity and integrity of a device or person in this digital world?

Additionally, Data (the source of any real value in a Digital business) and ensuring the Data can be protected and trusted is paramount to any successful business and its customers and supply chain partnerships. With Government policy in full swing (GDPR for example) and Vertical industry frameworks to drive standards (HIPAA in Medical for example) and compliance and best practice bodies emerging there is a big onerous on the leading players in the Top 10 market opportunities to take a lead, get their act together and take Device and Data Trust, and implicit security more seriously.